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Escalator Safety for Parents

ESCALATOR SAFETY FOR PARENTS

1. Know where the emergency stop buttons are located. Emergency stop buttons are located at the top and bottom of each escalator.

2. Keep away from the sides of the escalators. Lose clothing, soft rubber shoes or shoe laces can get caught between the side wall and the moving steps. Some modern installations even have yellow painted areas to warn patrons not to step on.

3. Do NOT sit on a moving escalator Clothes and small fingers of children can be pinched between the collapsing escalator steps.

4. Do NOT play on the escalator. Escalators are solid moving mechanical devices that can cause severe injuries if you do not use them as intended.

5. Step on and off escalators quickly and carefully. Although escalators have comb plates that assist in preventing lose clothing and body parts from becoming entrapped as a person steps on and off an escalator, comb plates can have damaged teeth that can result in small gaps that can catch lose clothing or body parts. Do not hesitate getting on or off escalators, it can also cause people behind you to lose their balance and fall.

6. Hold on to the handrail. Handrails ensure you maintain your balance on moving escalators.

7. Do NOT bring a stroller, carts or large packages on escalators. Strollers do not belong on an escalator. Unsuspecting parents can easily lose an unfastened child in a stroller down an escalator before they realize the hazard exists. Most locations have nearby elevators, if you have a baby stroller, carts or large packages, use the elevator.

8. Always face forward. Escalators are constantly moving. Looking back can cause a person to trip or not be aware of a problem with a passenger ahead of them.

9. Hold the hand of young children. A young child can place their fingers in potential pinch points before you have a chance to react. Holding the hand of your children will minimize this type of accident.

Remember, if your hands can not hold your child or the handrail, use the elevator!